THRIVE DAY 2019
On November 17, 2019 I was privileged to participate as a keynote speaker to THRIVE DAY 2019. The event took place at the Salt Palace in the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah. I flew in town a couple of days before the event. Flying back to Salt Lake City was not as triggering this time around as it had been when I came back in 2015 to record my Mormon Stories interview with John Dehlin. When I came back to Salt Lake City in 2015 after about a decade it was a very surreal experience. I remember being unable to control a flood of tears as the plane started its descent in Salt lake City overlooking Temple Square, the majestic LDS Temple, the Mormon Tabernacle, the huge Conference Center and other prominent buildings on Temple Square.
Imagine this for a moment, I served a full time mission on Temple Square for the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints, I attended Brigham Young University where I met my ex-husband and we got married in the Salt Lake Temple in 2003. I worked at the Missionary Training Center as a French Instructor during my BYU years and more.
Coming back to Salt Lake City brought a flood of fond memories but now I had to make sense of all these memories in the light of my faith crisis - I had left the church of my childhood and my heart and mind were still wounded (2014 was the year when everything started unraveling for me leading to a serious faith crisis which led me out of the LDS Church).
Coming back for THRIVE DAY 2019 was a healing experience for me. John Dehlin and his great organizing committee held a private dinner the night before the event for the speakers and organizers. It was intimate and filled with supportive positive energy. Among those who attended the dinner were John and Margi Dehlin, Jeni and Clint Martin, Amber Scorah, Birgitta and Hans Mattsson, Mindy Gledhill, John Hammer, Laci Green, Christian Moore, Natasha Helfer Parker, Sarah Newcomb, Liz Dalton, Lisa Hacking, Chelsea Gardner and more great people.
November 17, 2019 turned out to be a full house with over 1700 attendees, the speakers shared their experiences and thoughts speaking from the heart and everyone was moved. Chelsea Gardner led the congregation with songs such has “Imagine” “Let It Be” and “What’s Up”.
I shared my most quoted lines during my talk from the last Op-Ed I wrote, published in the Salt Lake Tribune in May 2016:
“I jumped off the cliff I was told my entire life to stay away from and I discovered I had wings. I started soaring and the view from where I stand is magnificent as I discover tastes and colors I never knew existed.”
Amber Scorah shared her amazing experience of leaving the Jehovah Witnesses - sharing parts of her book “Leaving The Witness.”
Stephenie Sorensen Larsen from “Encircle: LGBTQ+ Family and Youth Resource Center” shared the joy of enabling LGBTQ+ youths to thrive.
Wayne Sermon from the band Imagine Dragons came well prepared to move the audience, encouraging us all to continue to gaze at the vast universe, hold on to our truths and remember that we own the good we once shared in the LDS Church. It was never given to us to begin with -we brought that goodness in and left with it.
Mindy Gledhill shared the making of her latest album “Rabbit Hole” which tells the story of her faith crisis. She reminded us that just like when Alice in Wonderland fell down the rabbit hole and was faced with choices, she took risks and opened new doors, keeping the adventures rolling.
John Dehlin shared the vision and mission of THRIVE to bring healing, growth and community. The vision is to see this community quickly spread far and wide even beyond Post-Mormons for all those who need support in their faith transition and a new unconditionally accepting community. The positive energy in the room was tangible all day and it was beautiful to see that it all came from the goodness of our united hearts.
Julienna Viegas’ THRIVE DAY 2019 Talk
Wayne Sermon - Lead Guitar Imagine Dragons
Amber Scorah New York Times Article